jackintheboxfandomcom-20200214-history
2015 soft reboot
The 2015 soft reboot refers to a continuity change to the Jack Box Universe, the long-running Jack in the Box advertising campaign featuring Jack Box. Background In 1994, Jack in the Box advertising brought back their longtime clown mascot Jack, reimagined as a businessman regaining his position as CEO of the company, after having been "fired" in an earlier 1980s campaign.Jack's Back (1994) The idea was the brainchild of ad executive Rick Sittig. The campaign was highly successful, and is credited with reiventing the company after the 1993 E. coli outbreak. Sittig would voice Jack and direct every commercial in the campaign for the next 20 years. In 1997, Sittig founded his own agency Kowloon Wholesale Seafood Co. (later renamed Secret Weapon Marketing), and initially Jack in the Box was its sole account.Dawson, Angela. Kowloon’s Seafood Platter. Adweek. August 10, 1998. A 2008 Adweek profile of Sittig described him as "the font of Jack’s continuity." Solman, Gregory. Dick Sittig, in Situ. Adweek. December 1, 2008. In August 2015, Jack in the Box severed ties with Sittig and Secret Weapon Marketing in favor of the agency David & Goliath. Bell, Diane. 'Jack,' of Jack in the Box, pops the "B" news. San Diego Union-Tribune. October 6, 2016. According to Jack in the Box, this was in part because the irony that had been a trademark of the company's advertising "no longer jibes with the culture or the chain's more recent focus on quality."Peters, Bill. What Jack In The Box, 'Hunger Games' And 'Seinfeld' Have In Common. Investor's Business Daily. May 26, 2016. The first post-Sittig commercial was The Spice Trade, directed by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, heralding a series of commercials wherein Jack Box goes on a "heroic but silent quest for better ingredients and better burgers." Jack, who had been previously voiced by Sittig, did not talk in the commercials until 2016's Undercover Jack. Changes from the Sittig era Prior to the soft reboot, commercials in the early 2010s were characterized by a somewhat ribald tone, including sly allusions to erections,Jack Visits (2010) sexting,Texting (2013) and sexual harassment,Company Picnic (2014) which may have played a role in Jack in the Box's decision to cease advertising with Sittig and Secret Weapon Marketing. In contrast, commercials in the post-Sittig era have tended to be more wholesome and safe, with less emphasis on humor. A notable exception is 2018's Jack's Bowls, which was met with controversy. As a result of the change, Rick Sittig was replaced as Jack's voice actor. One internet commenter observed the new actor "talks with a stuffy nose it seems like."_ders. Reddit comment. Reddit. January 22, 2018. It's possible that David & Goliath's first series of commercials featured Jack in a silent role so that the change would not be noticable to the general audience. Continuity For the most part, advertising in the post-Sittig era has retained the Jack Box continuity established in 1994. However, carelessness with the previously-established canon and a lack of cohesive worldbuilding have left the canonicity of several elements in flux. Jack's family appears to have been de-emphasized. Jack's son Jack, Jr. has yet to make an actual appearance in a commercial since the soft reboot began. Among the scant indications he still exists are a framed picture of him seen in Cricket's Cravings and a mention in a Reddit thread.therealjackbox. "Jack Jr. is my son. I made him with my wife, Cricket." Hey Reddit - Jack here, from Jack in the Box, ready to answer all your questions about my tacos, curly fries, hat size, you name it. I'll be posting at 10 AM PST every day from now till 5/11 (that's right, a whole week). So let’s do this. AMA! Reddit. May 11, 2018. Extended members of the Box family have yet to be seen. In October 2016, it was announced Jack and his wife Cricket were expecting a child as part of an ad campaign for Brunchfast. However, there was never a follow-up campaign about the presumed birth. Jack mentioned an unnamed daughter in a November 2018 tweet,"I always say to my daughter 'It's not how many times you fall it's how many times you take advantage of reasonable delivery prices once you're on the ground.'" - Jack Box on Twitter. November 27, 2018. but it is unclear if she is the result of Cricket's 2016/2017 pregnancy, a previously-unseen older child retconned into existence, or a mistake by the social media team. Laureenne Sala, a copywriter who worked wih Secret Weapon Marketing, made this observation on Quora: One thing that others might not notice is that when Dick’s agency was writing the commercials, they were aware of Jack’s entire world. The same woman played Jack’s wife. The same kid played Jack’s son. There were rules about Jack’s mouth, his career, his family life, and how his face could change. The new agency doesn’t follow those, but nobody probably notices.Sala, Laurenne. Why did Jack-In-the-Box change the voice of Jack in their commercials? Quora. April 14, 2017. References Category:Jack Box Universe